It is known to use interlocking tabs and slots to make children's toys out of cardboard and other planar stock. Until now, it has been impractical to make full-sized functioning furniture utilizing such tabs and slots, due to difficulty in cutting flat stock with the precision necessary to produce a joint that is capable of supporting significant weight during prolonged periods of use. With the advent of precision laser cutting methods, such furniture is now possible, utilizing the teachings of the present invention. This invention is believed to represent the first knockdown (i.e. self-assembled) piece of furniture which takes advantage of the benefits of the laser cutting process.
Prior developments in this field may be generally illustrated by reference to the following information disclosure statement:
______________________________________ Pat. No. Patentee Issue Date ______________________________________ 5,000,514 M. Hanson Mar. 19, 1991 4,509,794 B. Roland Apr. 09, 1991 2,518,955 A. Stelzer Aug. 15, 1950 2,632,498 P. Curtis Mar. 24, 1953 2,486,987 G. Scarlett Nov. 01, 1949 4,593,950 V. Infanti Jun. 10, 1986 1,508,697 L. Junker Sep. 16, 1924 1,419,647 W. Shepherdson Jun. 13, 1922 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,419,647, 5,000,514, 4,509,794 and 2,518,955 teach kits that feature knockdown chairs with arms in which tab-and-slot construction is used to assemble the chairs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,794 uses both hooked tabs and non-hooked positioning tabs. However, the latter are not flush-mount.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,632,498, and 2,486,987 teach kits similar to those above, only the chairs do not have arms.
The rest of the patents are representative of what is in the art.
None of these references describe a chair with true horizontal arm rests. By this is meant arm rests wherein the plane of the planar stock comprising the arm rest is disposed horizontally, as opposed to prior art arm rests wherein the plane of the stock is disposed vertically and the only horizontal area with which one may support one's arms is the narrow edge created by the thickness of the stock.
All of the patented designs treat the planar parts as rigid masses only capable of either sliding or rotating into position. The present design addresses and relies upon the flexibility of the material. It cannot be assembled or locked if made from rigid stock. Twenty-one snap lock elements (sixteen in the arms, two in the front, and three in the seat) of the total of seventy-four joining elements in the chair, depend on the flexibility of the material in order to function. Further, none of the above prior art designs make use of planar flexing when fully assembled to achieve their joining or locking.